TOK Presentation: Language and Media

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Transcript of TOK Presentation: Language and Media

TOK Presentation: Language and Media By: Katrina KarasekMEDIA Media has a huge role in our every day lives becoming more and more accessible every day. - social media - printed newspapers/magazines- podcasts- radio- television

LANGUAGESomething all forms of media have in common is their use of language, whether it is spoken or written.

Language is defined as a set of symbols of sounds used to communicate ideas within people. BIASMost forms of media presented to general public with the goal of informing and presenting factual information, without bias. Bias.Definition: prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.The Effect of Language - Although the act of conveying information through media may appear to be neutral, the language used may have en effect on how the readers/listeners perceive the facts. -This is proven through Sigmund Freud's concept of free association.

RLS-On June 8th, 2014, Mike Brown, an unarmed black teenager was fatally shot and killed during an altercation with a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri.

-This story received national and international attention and raised questions regarding the ongoing racism issues in America, as well as the degree of training given to police officers.

- following the death of Michael Brown, protests occurred throughout the city and took many forms.

- in two separate videos, one by FOX News and one by The Washington Post, the protests were discussed.

To what extend does language play a role in determining the perception of facts?

and

To what extent does bias through language effect the "neutrality" of the information presented by the media? Raises the questions...

-Clearly two different ways of describing aspects of the same story. -Both versions may be true in some way, although the language being used to describe the events us what may influence a viewer's opinion.-After watching, the viewer will naturally subconsciously draw a conclusion based on the events shown in the video and the language used, whether it be positive or negative.-The use of language and the viewer's subconscious understanding of its connotations arguably removes the idea of neutrality presented by newscasts.

ConclusionIt is difficult for news to be expressed through language in a way that excludes intentional or unintentional bias.

Language, as an integrated aspect of human nature will always play a role in determining our perceptions and opinions, even when presented to us as facts.